This invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly, to a method and system for remotely initiating a call forwarding feature associated with a user""s home or office telephone line via an EP connection to the network, for example, from the user""s E-MAIL address so that calls are automatically forwarded, for example, to a cellular telephone assigned to the user from the user""s home or office telephone.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/823,944, filed Mar. 25, 1997 and published under EP 0 872 998 A1 on Oct. 21, 1998, defines the terms xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csubscriberxe2x80x9d as related directly to called party and calling party respectively in a telecommunications context and describes an active user registry (AUR), also referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,510. Referring to FIG. 2B, taken in part from EP 0 872 998 A1 and supplemented in accordance with the present invention, there is shown an example of an active user registry (AUR) in which a user, typically a called party, inputs and stores for use by subscribers, calling parties trying to reach the called parties, a thorough list of personal telecommunications parameters. The thorough list of personal telecommunications parameters includes but is not limited to the user""s name and aliases 215, their home phone, work phone, cellular phone 220, e-mail address 240, URL 270 and reach number 290. The active user registry is one example of a network directory function for providing directory information about a user identifying, for example, all the possible ways a subscriber may reach a user such as by e-mail, by telephone at work or home, by facsimile at work or home, by pager, by cellular phone, by a personal display device (PDA) and the like.
The user may access the AUR and provide a current reach address so a subscriber may locate the user who accesses the AUR. There is, however, no means disclosed by which the user enters (or knows) their cellular mobile identification number-electronic serial number (MIN-ESN) or other cellular telephone service related information or can follow the steps disclosed in commonly assigned, parent U.S. patent application Ser. No 09/010,616, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,545, issued Oct. 31, 2000, whereby a user may activate remote call forwarding from their home or PBX office phone to their cellular phone from their cellular phone. For convenience, the terms xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csubscriberxe2x80x9d will be used consistently herein with the manner suggested by the ""944 application.
Call forwarding is a feature commonly available through many telephone companies that enables a user as just defined to automatically have his/her telephone calls forwarded to another telephone number from the telephone line to which calls were initially directed. Remote call forwarding simply means that one can access call forwarding remotely, i.e. from another phone not associated with the feature. For example, when remote call forwarding is activated, a subscriber dialing the user at their PBX will reach the user at their cellular telephone according to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,545 once the user has remotely activated the feature from their cellular telephone not having the feature.
In its basic implementation, a user implements remote call forwarding by dialing a feature code from the telephone associated with the subscribed-to service and inputs the forwarding telephone number to which he wants subsequent calls directed. The central office switch recognizes the feature code and the telephone line from which the user has dialed, and the central office switch thereafter redirects calls from the user""s telephone line to the forwarding telephone number. For remote call forwarding, again, the subscriber is not at the phone that is associated with the feature.
Two methods for remote call forwarding are commonly available: a network service or using specialized subscriber equipment connected to the subscriber""s telephone line. As a network service, in order to invoke call forwarding to the telephone at the subscriber""s current location, the subscriber makes an actual phone call to a designated special telephone number associated with his local switch, provides the number of the telephone associated with his local switch, provides the number of the telephone associate with the subscribed-to feature, inputs a PIN to prevent unauthorized call forwarding, and then inputs a feature code designated for call forwarding. The telephone number from which the subscriber initiates the procedure is recognized by the network and the subscriber""s central office switch thereafter directs calls from the subscriber""s telephone line to the telephone line from which the remote call forwarding feature has been invoked.
Using specialized subscriber equipment, in order to invoke remote call forwarding, the subscriber places a call to his specialized equipment, inputs a PIN to prevent unauthorized call forwarding, and then inputs the telephone number to which calls should be forwarded. The specialized equipment then connects to the subscriber""s telephone number following the same procedure as basic call forwarding. The central office switch recognizes the feature code and the telephone line from which the subscriber""s specialized equipment has dialed and the central office switch thereafter redirects telephone calls from the subscriber""s telephone line to the forwarding telephone number.
Both basic call forwarding and remote call forwarding are features that can be associated with a subscriber""s home telephone in which calls are redirected by the subscriber""s switch in the local exchange office. Basic call forwarding and remote call forwarding are also features that can be associated with a telephone connected to a PBX in a corporate environment. As described above, for basic call forwarding the user enters a feature code from his telephone together with the telephone number to which calls are to be directed. For remote call forwarding, the user must dial a specific extension on the PBX, enter his own extension number, and a PIN. Once call forwarding is invoked, the PBX thereafter places an outbound telephone call to the forwarding telephone number in response to an inbound call directed to the forwarder""s telephone number and bridges the inbound and outbound telephone calls.
A user of a mobile cellular telephone can invoke remote call forwarding to his cellular telephone from his home or office telephone in a manner described above. Thus, as described above, the user must dial a special telephone number, which number is either associated with his local switch or PBX, and then enter his telephone number and a PIN. Disadvantageously, such a procedure over a wireless cellular network can proved security problems that are not present when remotely invoking a call forwarding feature from a telephone on the secure wire-line telephone system. Specifically, since a user""s touch-tone inputs on the cellular phone can possibly be intercepted, an eavesdropper could illegal obtain a user""s telephone number and password and then remotely invoke the call forwarding feature to forward calls to some desired telephone number.
In the commonly assigned, parent application U.S. patent application. Ser. No. 09/010,616, filed Jan. 22, 1998, now U.S Pat. No. 6,141,545, a method and system were described for remotely call forwarding calls directed to a subscriber""s home or business phone line to the subscriber""s cellular phone from their cellular phone.
An object of the present invention is to securely invoke a remote call forwarding feature for a subscriber""s wire-line telephone from the subscriber""s home or business phone to the subscriber""s cellular phone from an IP connection.
In accordance with the present invention, a user of a remote call forwarding feature enables that feature on his/her wire-line telephone line by accessing an Internet or other server and entering a feature code via an EP connection to the server. Specifically, the subscriber, for example, enters a feature code from his personal computer or other Internet work station on to a displayed web page displaying remote call forwarding actuation data and entry fields, which feature code is received by the server. An active user registry (AUR) or related directory similar to that disclosed in EP 0 872 998 A1 but modified to include a field(s) for Service Control Point (SCP) access is utilized by the server for setting up the remote call forwarding service requested by the user. The AUR may be associated with an SCP in one embodiment, may be associated with a special server in a TCP/IP network in another embodiment, or may be associated with a server of the user""s ISP or other server in yet another embodiment. In the embodiment where the AUR is associated with an SCP, a database normally associated with an SCP maybe combined with the AUR database into a common database in yet a further embodiment. The server then accesses this directory (the AUR either being combined with the SCP database or stand-alone) so that the user may be identified and associated with the user""s other telecommunications reach capabilities, in the present example, their work and cellular telephone numbers. Sufficient information such as the feature code and user identification, for example, by cell and work phone number is passed to the user""s SCP where the cellular phone""s Electronic Serial Number (ESN) and Mobile Identification Number (MIN) (the cellular phone""s telephone number) are stored in the SCP associated database, the MIN-ESN together uniquely identifying the subscriber for cellular service purposes. The SCP recognizes the feature code as a request to invoke a remote call forwarding feature on the subscriber""s office or home wire-line telephone line on which the remote call forwarding feature is subscribed to by the user or is available to the user. By performing, at the SCP, a database lookup associated with that user as determined by the MIN and ESN and/or the work phone number, the PBX phone line or home telephone phone line on which call forwarding is to be invoked and how to invoke the service is determined. Further information is retrieved in association with the user""s identity including information relating to the specific equipment (e.g., the PBX or local switch) on which the call forwarding is to be invoked, the user""s telephone number or extension on the PBX, the user""s PIN, in an embodiment in which the PBX or local switch requires a PIN to invoke the feature, and a network address or telephone number through which the local switch or PBX can be reached. This information, together with the MIN, is then sent over a secure transmission medium to such network address or telephone number to the PBX or local switch, which in response thereto, then invokes the remote call forwarding feature for the user""s line to forward calls to the identified MIN. Advantageously, remote call forwarding to the cellular phone may be securely affected without requiring the user to enter a PIN. Further, the present invention can be used to remotely invoke through a user""s IP connection other features associated with a user""s wire-line office or home phone line.